Saturday, June 13, 2015

Huckleberry Food & Fare @ Plaza Damansara

'There ain't nothing in the world so good when it's cooked right.' Mark Twain was thinking of corn-dodgers & buttermilk, pork & cabbage & greens, when he wrote that line, but it's promising that the sentiment scribbled on the chalkboard of Huckleberry is the principle that fuels the food at this Bukit Damansara boulangerie & bistro, one of 2015's most encouraging new eateries.

Huckleberry is run by the folks behind Medan Damansara's Mezze, whose head chef Yves Pierre Renou helms the kitchen here too, with familiar faces like master baker Christophe Gros of TTDI's Pastry Institute Of St Honore, who oversees Huckleberry's 120-square-foot oven, & coffee consultant Jeremy Chin of Bangsar's DR.Inc, who recommended talented young barista Woon for Huckleberry. It currently opens only during daylight but will eventually offer dinner & cocktails at night.

Hot-from-the-kitchen meals - heavy with freshly baked wholesomeness - form the highlights of Huckleberry's ingredient-driven repertoire. Top temptations include the chilli cheese toast (RM13.90), billed as Mumbai's response to the Welsh rarebit, showcasing a thick slice of toast grilled with bechamel, spring onions, green chillies & sambal (not as spicy as it all sounds, but enjoyably sweet-savoury), topped with a sunny-side-up for extra creaminess ...

... a vegetarian burger (RM16.90) with a ravishingly textured patty built with brown rice, black beans, sweet potatoes & walnuts, topped with avocadoes & sriracha sauce, in a bun that begs to be finished by true bread lovers, carbs be damned ...

... as well as a chicken banh mi (RM19.90) that surprisingly nails the complexities of flavour for Vietnam's beloved baguette treat, & a salt beef sandwich (RM32.90) that boasts a mighty 170-gram serving of meat that takes centre stage between some truly lovely rye caraway bread (we like the bread even better than the beef). Most items are served 11am-530pm.

Pastries can be eaten here or taken away - everything from almond croissants to kouign-amman to Valrhona pain au chocolat, all looking irresistibly beautiful & tasting pretty much irreproachable, partnered with equally excellent coffee (an exclusive Sumatran Gayo blend for Huckleberry) & tea from the respected local brand Roleaf, plus luscious smoothies. A pleasant surprise - wine is available; not a long list, but at RM24 per glass, more than good enough to ensure a memorably fun lunch.

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Rebecca: wah, more readers notice the people than the food :D ya, i liked the food, and the prices for the vegetarian burger and a few other items were lower than expected, considering the effort and ingredients that went into them and the other factors for this place :)